camel

The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated in English as “camel” is translated in Muna as “water buffalo.” René van den Berg explains: “Camels are unknown; the biggest known animal is the water buffalo (though now rare on Muna).”

In Bislama is is translated as buluk: “cow” / “bull” (source: Ross McKerras) and in Bahnar as aseh lăk-đa which is a combination of the Vietnamese loan word for “camel” (lăk-đa) and the Bahnar term for “horse” (aseh) to communicate that the camel is a beast of burden (source: Pham Xuan Tin in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 20ff. ).

In the 1900 Kalaallisut (Greenlandic) translation (a newer version was published in 2000) it was as ĸatigagtôĸ or “big-backed ones.” “Katigagtôĸ (modern qatigattooq), which has the literal meaning of ‘something with a big back.’ It comprises the noun ĸatigak (modern qatigak) ‘back’ combined with the suffix –tôĸ (modern –tooq) ‘something possessing a big X.’” (Source: Lily Kahn & Riitta-Liisa Valijärvi in The Bible Translator 2019, p. 125ff.)

In Luke 18:25, Mark 10:25, and Matthew 19:24 some versions of the Peshitta translation in Syriac Aramaic (Classical Syriac) show an ambiguity between the very similar words for “camel” and “rope.” Some translations of the Peshitta, therefore, use the “rope” interpretation, including the Classical Armenian Bible (մալխոյ for “rope”), the English translation by George Lamsa (publ. 1933) (It is easier for a rope to go through the eye of a needle), or the Dutch translation by Egbert Nierop (publ. 2020) (het voor een kabel eenvoudiger is het oog van een naald binnen te gaan).

In the above-mentioned three verses, it is translated in Noongar as “kangaroo” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

 

There were two types of camel known in Bible times the most common being the Arabian Dromedary camelus dromedarius, which was indigenous to the area. The two-humped Bactrian Camel camelus bactrianus was also known and prized, but it was imported from Central Asia.

Camels belong to the same family as the South American llama, vicuna, alpaca, and guanaco, but camels are much larger and have a big fatty hump on their backs. Bactrian camels may reach a height of about two meters (6.5 feet), while dromedaries are even bigger. Dromedaries are a uniform light fawn color, while Bactrian camels are darker, especially in winter when they grow longer fur.

Camels do not have hooves but a large footpad with two broad toes ideally suited to walking on sand. In other ways too they are ideally suited to life in desert areas. They store excess food in their humps and this makes it possible for them to go a long time without eating. Special blood cells also enable them to go without water for long periods. They also have a very efficient digestive system and can extract the maximum amount of nutrition from apparently dry vegetation. This adaptation to harsh environments means that camels can make long journeys through dry areas which would be beyond the abilities of other types of pack animal such as donkeys. Camels were used for riding and for carrying heavy loads. They were also used to pull carts.

In winter the fur of camels thickens and grows longer and then when summer comes they shed their winter fur in large wads. These wads of camel hair are collected and twisted into cords and ropes or spun into thread which is then used for weaving coarse cloth. This cloth was usually used for making tents but it was sometimes used for making outer robes.

Camels’ milk was used as food and drink but their meat was considered unclean by the Israelites.

In spite of the fact that camels were considered to be unclean for food they were a symbol of wealth and commerce. People or nations with many camels were automatically viewed as commercially successful and wealthy as the possession of camels opened up the possibility of transporting goods long distances and engaging in trade.

In areas where camels are not known, the word is often transliterated from Hebrew or the dominant language of the area. However, in some languages descriptive names have been invented. In some South American languages names meaning “hump-backed llama” or “big alpaca with a hump” have been used. Elsewhere expressions such as “hump-backed horse” have been used. A fuller description should usually be included in a glossary or word list.

Source: All Creatures Great and Small: Living things in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators)

For information on the domestication of camels, see Early camel incidents in the Hebrew Bible .

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about camels (source: Bible Lands 2012)

complete verse (Genesis 24:11)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 24:11:

  • Kankanaey: “When they arrived at the entrance of the town, they had- the camels -kneel-down a-little-ways from the spring that was there. Because it was already late-afternoon and that was the time (lit. hour) when- the women went -to-fetch-water.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Having arrived there he left the camels to rest near a well outside the city. At this time it had become evening. And it had also become the time when girls come to get water.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “When the servant arrived in the city, he had- the camels -lay-down near the well outside the city. (It was) twilight at-that-time and time- for the women -to-draw-water.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “It was late in the afternoon, at the time when the women go to the well to get water, when he arrived there. He made the camels kneel down near the well, which was outside the city.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 24:11

Between verses 10 and 11 the servant’s caravan of camels has traveled a distance of approximately 800 kilometers (500 miles). Verse 11 begins at the end of the journey and with no transition. Therefore it may be necessary to start verse 11 with something like “After the long trip he reached the city of Nahor,” “After his long trip the servant arrived outside the city,” “They traveled a long time, and when they reached the city….” Note Good News Translation “When he arrived.”

Made the camels kneel down: the camel kneels by bending its front legs and lowering its body first on the front legs then on the back legs. It is then lying with its legs doubled beneath its body. It is necessary for the camel to lower its body before its rider can get down. In some languages it is necessary to say “he made the camels lie down.” If this statement seems to have no purpose or gives a wrong idea, it may be helpful to say “to get off he made the camels lie down” or “he made the camels kneel down so he could get to the ground.”

Outside the city by the well of water: here there are two positions. In some languages the more localized one is referred to first: “by the well outside the city.” Well of water refers to a dug well. See 21.19. Since this same well is referred to later in the story as “a spring of water,” some translations say here “a well that had a spring in it” and then use just the term “well” throughout the rest of the narrative.

In some languages there may seem to be a conflict between “to the city” in verse 10 and outside the city here. A translation that deals with this problem says “He ordered the camels not to go into the city but to kneel down close to the well….”

At the time of: this may need to begin a new sentence, as in Good News Translation “It was….”

At the time of evening refers to the late afternoon, when the sun is down far enough to allow some cooling of the air. The water is drawn for the evening meal and to give water to the animals to drink.

Women go out to draw water: drawing water from a well was mainly a woman’s task (Exo 2.16; 1 Sam 9.11; John 4.7). In areas where wells and drawing water are unknown, a general term will usually be used; for example, “when women go to the water place to get water,” “… to fill their gourds.” Note that Good News Translation speaks from the viewpoint of the well: “women came out to get water.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .